Reviews & Ratings

This tour gave GREAT information about the gargoyles, including how to look for the different stone-carvers' styles and a good bit of interesting history. We saw a lot of different carvings, and now can't wait to go back on our own to hunt for more!

My husband and I would follow our tour guide, Mark, ANYWHERE. He is very well-informed and is happy to answer questions and give interesting responses. We went with a couple who have lived for over thirty years just a few blocks from the Cathedral...continued

The tour guide never showed up. Waited 40 minutes. What a waste of time. Will never ever do anything like this again. Drove total of 65 miles with my daughter for a monumental disappointment. Requested a refund from Goldstar and still waiting for...continued

I thought this would be an indoor and outdoor tour, but did not realize gargoyles were only outdoor fixtures, so it was a long tour during a hot day, but the tour guide was very knowledgeable and had great insight. You absolutely need binoculars...continued

There was a mix-up involving Mark, our tour guide, and he arrived one hour and fifteen minutes late. Although the phone number provided through Goldstar kept us in communication with him, he kept telling us that he was "15 minutes away." From...continued

Great tour. Mark is well informed, thoughtful, helpful and will share his binoculars. He is a fountain of info. Can't wait to go back and look at more of the exterior of the cathedral as well and the grounds and the inside too. A fascinating...continued

As other people have said, the guide Mark was late, claiming that Goldstar had mis-scheduled the event ("supposed" to be the next day) yet his own web site (http://www.tourguidemark.com/tours/cathedral/gargoyle.html) has the same Saturday date and...continued

The weather was hot and the tour guide was sensitive to it and kept us in the shade the best he could. I've lived in this area all my life and have never closely observed the gargoyles on the Cathedral and everyone in my group was pleasantly...continued

The tour gives you a high level knowledge of the buildings construction and architecture. Very informative in regards to the gargoyles function and background on the artists who carved them. Take a strong pair of binoculars to see the details...continued

We had a gorgeous day to walk around the Cathedral and learn many interesting facts about the gargoyles as well as the grotesques. We received an excellent history lesson along with a great understanding of the various artisans who have worked on...continued

Mark is a wonderful tour guide. He has amazing information, is educational, has funny stories, and teaches you how to enjoy the cathedral on your own. The tour is all outside so be prepared for the weather. I went on a cold day and by the end I...continued

This was a fun and interesting way to learn about the National Cathedral. Mark has an encyclopedic knowledge of the gargoyles, grotesques, and other carvings on the exterior of the Cathedral. Suggest you bring good binoculars and a camera with a...continued

The tour is 1.5 hours walking around the Cathedral and learning about the gargoyles and grotesques. The guide was very knowledable about the history behind the sculptures and honest when he didn't know or where there is confusion about a...continued

This is such a fun tour. The guide had a lot of information to share. He discussed the different styles of carvings and how that changed from when the church was first built through to present day. Definitely bring binoculars (you can buy an...continued

It was nice, but not at all what I expected. I thought it was going to include going on the balconies, etc. All of what we did could have been read in a book. Some details were not correct according to National Cathedral literature.